Irony Dies Hard
by Hersheys Rocks
Summary: Life's not fair. Oh, what an age old saying! Yet, it's so true, and Bella now has proof why...
1. Absurdity of Fatality

Hersheys Rocks: I found myself once again reading the summary of an all too familiar plot line last night.

LOOKEE!! Edward leaves (Oh my god! -gasps-, you'll never guess what happens next either!) and Bella gets changed!! (How _original _-.-' )

I've read this plot line... oh, I really don't want to count cause it would probably sicken me -sighs-

Though, I did notice that there is one thing in common with all this plot line, they always take place years after she gets changed and they meet up somewhere.

SOOOO without further ado, I take a more realistic view on this that I have seen **_(absolutely) no one _**take yet.

_**A Hersheys Rocks Production:**_

_**Irony Dies Hard**_

The werewolves gathered around the table, whispering and debating with each other. Emily and Bella sat off to the side, watching the argument with interest.

"Wait wait, I've been on lookout all week!" Jake shouted, quite frazzled.

"Not all week Jake, just the last three days" Embry corrected.

"Yeah, and today's Thursday! So, that is basically all week!"

Sam sighed, hearing this argument repeat itself for the third time that hour. "Fine, fine. Jared and Paul will take over for the next two nights."

Jake and Embry froze while Paul whined lightly. Slowly, a grin spread across Jake's face. In less then a second, he was on the other side of the room, throwing Bella up into the air.

"Hear that Bells?! I have tomorrow off! Let's do something!" Bella giggled slightly as the rush of the wind made her feel slightly light headed. Gravity pulled her back down into Jake's arms and she dismissed the slight nagging feeling that it was the wrong arms she was falling into.

"And what momentous thing might you be doing, may I ask?" Embry asked, chuckling.

"We could... go to a bookstore?!" Bella suggested, stars in her eyes at the idea of getting a new book.

"Nah... too... _ordinary_" Jake mumbled, getting into a thinking stance that made everyone there laugh. Something occurred to him after a few moments though, and it upset him that he had pushed it back so far because of the crisis with 'Victoria'.

"Heyyy... we never found your little meadow thing" Jake murmured, snapping his fingers towards her in an 'aha' fashion.

Bella stiffened slightly, but then smiled -- no matter how forced it was, none of them could tell. "No... We haven't, would you like to find it tomorrow? I think I know just where to look too..."

He grinned, "Then it's a date!"

_A little bit of normality can go a long way, but not as long as absurdity..._


	2. Reincarnation by Moonlight

**Warning: There is some Graphic Violence (very graphic) near the end of the chapter.**

She tripped lightly, catching herself quickly like she had recently learned to do. "Do you think we're heading in the right direction?" She muttered lightly, knowing he could hear her loud and clear because of his mythical senses.

"Yep!" He said, and even from behind him, she could tell Jake was smiling.

Doing a small jump over a potentially disastrous shrub, she continued after him through the forest to their destination. She had been there before, both of them had, Jake just didn't realize it yet.

A feeling of unease twisted the bottom of Bella's stomach, and she immediately connected it to the hollow feeling the meadow had once... he... left.

Self pity and hatred of her humanity swallowed her for a second, only to be killed by Jake's cheer of happiness.

"I fo-- I mean, WE FOUND IT!!" He chimed, quickly turning around and bringing her into a tight grip before swinging her around into the meadow.

She evaluated it, nothing was different apparently, as Jake held her. His chin rested lightly atop her head as he too studied it. "Seems peaceful"

Absently, Bella nodded.

----------------------

Alice looked at his form. She sighed, 'Pathetic' she whined in her mind.

"I heard that" Edward growled unhappily.

Rolling her eyes, she sashayed towards his curled up form. "Wallowing in self pity is pathetic when this could have easily been avoided..."

A growl rumbled in his chest, "You came here to lecture me? I must say, even though she told me not to bet against you, it had to be avoided"

A small, wicked smile unlike any Edward have ever seen on her face, twitched her lips upward. "Oh, _but Edward_..." She purred quietly, "Bella was all too right, you don't bet against me"

"And that means what?" He asked, shifting to look at her.

"It means, I'm still seeing her as one of us"

------------------------

She twirled slightly, trying to make the most of it for Jake.

Behind her, he smiled. As Bella twirled, he couldn't help but notice how beautiful she looked in a field like this of wild flowers. Simply ravishing, really.

Lips twitching upward, he wondered briefly how much longer it would take for him to woo her. A year probably at most. She was already doubting her love for the bloodsucker.

His nose twitched slightly at the memory. The memory of the stench of that horrid vampire, Victoria, flooded his senses. Suppressing a snarl, a quote from somewhere ran through his head.

'Good things never last'

The sentence came and went just as fast as his awareness. Instantly, everything seemed to be a blur.

A red flame shot out from a tree branch, tackling Bella to the ground. Bella bit back a shriek as a burning sensation ran from her neck to her spine, slowly taking over her whole body.

A snarl ripped through Jake's throat as his surroundings sunk in. His body went into sudden convulsions, before he finally burst completely. Tattered clothes floated down through the air as he violently pulled and attacked the woman on top of his princess.

A bloodcurdling scream bounced off the trees, while venom (being vampire's only bodily fluid) splattered across the wildflowers, making them wilt.

His teeth sank into her face, tearing it to pieces as it peeled off her bones. A sickening snap echoed Bella's screech as her body collapsed in on itself from his weight.

Growling, he backed away from the mass of oozing flesh. With a look back at Bella, he returned to his human form, whimpering.

He crawled over to her side, cursing himself all the way as she writhed on the ground in pain, screaming incoherently. Jake had no idea what to do, he couldn't do anything. Then something snapped together in his mind, Sam might know what to do. Sam knew everything Jake ever wanted to know afterall.

Quickly, Jake tore off the remains of the shredded clothes off of the dead vampire, wrapping them around his waist. Without a second thought, he scooped up the convulsing girl and headed towards the others, knowing they knew what he knew.

_Eternity is not all it's said to be, for good things never last, in eternity you just have to face that many more hard times..._


	3. Feigned Sins

_**By the way, I forgot to mention some things. One, this is for masochistic-lion-love cause she told me I should make this fic . Thankee! Also, I realized I haven't done a disclaimer yet (oh, how I hate those idiotic things)**_

_**Disclaimer: **Are you retarded? Yes I own Twilight!! -stabbed to death by random lawyer-_

Sam watched as Embry and Jared paced in tight ovals, each time they passed each other a different one would be overlapping the other. Loud crashes pounded at the walls from outside where Jared was snapping and brutally killing the forest. Jacob was the worst to watch though, sitting across the table from him.

Jake held his head in his hands, bruised from continuous beating on the table. His shoulders shook lightly from the sobs he bit back into whimpers.

"W-what are we --" Jake was cut off by a shrill cry from the bedroom where Emily was taking care of Bella.

Sam thought for a moment, seeing the whole crowd flinch.

"We need to cover up her death. Bear attack by the giant grizzlies would be the best explanation..."

"But the total opposite of the truth" Jared spat, venom dripping from his every word.

"Also, we cannot just through her off our land to fend for herself, especially since the Cullens show no sign of ever coming back." Sam continued on, ignoring the glares he received from the others.

"So, in the end, Jake, you and Billy shall inform Charlie. Embry, you need to help me figure out a good place to take Bells hunting..."

"Honey, isn't Mount Rainier full of bears and wildlife?" Emily asked, coming back out of their bedroom.

Sam nodded, a smile twitching at his lips as the boys in the room immediately flocked over to Emily. "How's she doing?" They asked in almost unison.

"As good as she could be, I suppose" Emily sighed, eyes flickering back to the closed door. A low moan of pain came, and all three flinched. "It's a painful process, I believe I heard some of her bones snapping and realigning... She'll be all better in... oh, I believe she told me three days total, so two more days"

They all deflated at the news, but Emily smiled. "The worse part hasn't even been dealt with yet"

_The worse part has never come, because sometimes in life, the bad just keeps coming..._


	4. Colorless Deception

Colors blurred and blended together into shades she didn't believe possible, within the narrow, long bars of vision she enabled herself with. Her chest rose and fell in a rhythmic fashion, making the racking pain of her soreness become evident every second.

Why did she have to wake up? It was so much better before, in the darkness when the pain was blazing through her body. The dark abyss of her empty mind seemed to cool off the fire, or maybe that was her skin, losing degrees by each passing millisecond?

In the end, it didn't really matter now. She was sure, since the burning sensation had long ago subsided, that the transformation. All that was really left was the sore feeling of having not moved in days and her joints being locked up.

Each movement sent a dull tingling sensation up her spine, tickling her brain in its own way to inform her to feel pain. Her mind slowly mulled over the commands, then made up its slowness with a pain much more powerful then it was supposed to use.

Oh, the irony. She finally got what she wanted, yet Edward was nowhere in sight.

'No,' her mind logically responded. How it did so, she couldn't quite comprehend at this point. 'He'll never come... He told you he doesn't love you...'

"But so many times..." she whispered softly, a dryness as if someone had blotched up all moisture, became apparent in the back of her throat.

With more energy, her eyes fluttered open all the way. Digging her elbows into the soft comforter surrounding her, she propped herself up, only to come face to face with a sleeping Jacob sprawled across the bottom of her bed.

A giggle escaped her throat as her body fixed itself in light speed, as if fully coming awake. The strain over the last three days must have been hard on it, she reasoned, so it was slow to do anything.

Emily walked in, and her senses flared alive. A horrible stench, almost like something was rotting, flooded her nose, overpowering it. She made a small gagging sound, making Emily giggle as she cleared a spot for herself beside Bella.

"I'm sorry we smell so bad, but the boys aren't too happy bout the way you smell either..." she whispered, brushing back hair out of the girl's face in a motherly fashion. "They even said you were shiny and that made you harder to look at."

A smile twitched up at Bella's lips, which the skin tightened momentarily before cracking painfully into the smile. "I guess... I'm a vampire now..."

Emily nodded, still running her hands through Bella's hair, eyes examining each inch of the girl. "You're eyes are red, you need to hunt..."

"Then how come I don't want to eat you?"

"I stink of werewolves, why else?"

Bella giggled, before enveloping Emily in a hug. "I'm sorry, this is all my fault..."

_Irony is an awful thing, showing us all our sins..._


	5. Ironically Fallacious

**Haha, I'm sorry the chappies are so short, it's just the way it has to be T.T Well, anywayz, I appreciate reviews, flames and anything else really (Not sure what else there is, but you all are pretty creative people) And I'll try to update frequently, but I really really really need to update my other story, but god dangit . I'll update when... Crimson Moon updates... nah, how bout... ah, who cares, I need a little Naruto inspiration at the moment . I'm too caught up in Twilight, dangit, not good.**

**Yeah, sorryz for the mini rant.**

_Two Days Prior_

He wrung his hands in a new found habit of nervousness. Standing in front of the surprisingly ominous door, he raised his hand. It twitched in midair, redirecting itself towards the hidden button next to the door.

The doorbell, he knew for sure, had never actually been used. No one was even sure it worked. Though, it felt less forceful this way, somehow. Bells chimed as his slender finger connected with the forsaken button, Charlie appearing soon after.

A bright smile was upon his face, glad to see Jake. All his hopes seemed to have heightened lately with Jake replacing Edward. Yet, he had no idea that Jake was here to disembowel his entire world.

"What brings you here?" He asked, opening the door further for Jake to walk in. At a slow pace, Jake stepped in and continued towards the kitchen, all the while hanging his head.

"I...I-I need to tell you... s-something..." Jake's voice was barely above a whisper, making Charlie's jog to catch up with him all the more necessary.

Charlie grinned, and slid into a seat just as Jake was doing so. "What would that be?"

"Bella..." Jake said, grimacing slightly.

Charlie's brows furrowed slightly, not understanding the guilt and sadness that seemed to be emanating from the young boy. "You didn't... get her pregnant" A wishful smile crossed Jake's face, disappearing as quickly as it came. "I really wish..."

"Then what could be so... upsetting?"

"I really don't know how to tell you this... but I have to"

Charlie's body subconsciously learned towards the werewolf, inclining to hear the whispers that spewed from Jake's mouth. "She's dead... she was attack by those bears..."

Charlie's body seemed to instantly relax in, what Jake found a most disturbing manner. His muscles tightened then released any previous hold it held, sinking its body further into the chair for support. Next came shaking, almost like uncontrollable seizures.

Tears rolled down his cheeks, leaving a trail of bright pink on his pale skin. Jake's eyes lowered in shame, for a moment he had believed that Charlie would have died from a heart attack. That would have been too much.

"Her body?" The words were slurred and slightly mispronounced through his oncoming sobs. His slumped form had been reduced to only minor shaking now.

"It's... gone..." Jake whispered, tears starting to blur his vision. His clenched his teeth together, knowing how false, how fake, this was. It truly wasn't fair for Charlie this way.

"T-the... the f-fun-funeral" Charlie half moaned out, hands supporting his head as it sagged downwards. "Phoenix" he muttered.

Jake's head snapped up and a disapproving smile came upon his face. "No, Charlie, she'd want it to be here, with you"

A light came upon Charlie's eyes, one he couldn't quite understand. Hope was written obviously all over his grief ridden face. "Really?"

Jake smiled, nodding his head. "Yes, she loves you with all her heart"

_Sometimes, others pay for our sins. That's when we confirm irony is a cruel thing..._


	6. Reassurable Detachment

Bella stood, steadying herself on her feet. A feel of being as 'light as a feather', as they say, came upon her. Her feet seemed to not quite touch the ground as she took a gliding step, like walking on air. Such a feet God himself could not do.

Though, another feeling rushed along with her unsteady steps. Anticipation, she identified. Yes, such a wonderful feeling for anyone else would have brought grace, yet she somehow slipped, falling forward.

Emily barely caught her, stifling a giggle. "Oh, I thought mythical creatures were to be graceful"

"Strongest feature shows through" Bella muttered bitterly, rolling her eyes. "I'm sure you have other wonderful features that will show up later. Don't some vampires have special abilities?" Emily smiled brightly as she helped Bella to her feet.

"Che, like I would have a power"

They had gotten out the door which was barely two feet from the door, and into the kitchen. Drifting from one topic to another, laughing here and there, they scrounged the kitchen for cooking supplies.

"Aha!" Bella cried, smiling brightly as she held up a pan. Emily's foot slid the refrigerator door close, arms filled with goodies. Grinning to each other madly, the kitchen became like a danger zone. Bits of random food cartons were thrown to the side, where someone could easily slip on them. Multiple stacks of assorted goodies sent wafting sensations to the noses of those asleep in the bedroom across the large living room.

To those two, cooking was like shopping. Such a wonderful pastime that could only be as thoroughly enjoyed by them. Them, and of course the boys that drifted out in an overdramtic manner. Noses came out first, held high in the air. They were quickly followed by a body, slightly held back by the arms that went straight down to their hips, hands out to the side and making fluttering motions.

Oh, so they were flying their way over, signifying they were in heaven.

Once they had assembled around the table, their holy platter, the devouring began. Forks clashed in a way that swords of samurai had long ago, fighting for their food. Bits and chunks of food flew from Embry and Jacob's mouths as they tried conversing with each other and Bella through several pancakes at a time.

She giggled, handing both of them napkins. "Didn't anyone ever tell you boys not to talk with your mouths full?"

Jake scoffed, mock glaring at her temporarily before breaking out in a grin. "You know, aren't you hungry? Emily smells good I bet"

"Nope" Bella said smiling and plugging her nose. "You smell like decaying matter"

"Hey hey! That's not very nice, young lady!" Jared scolding, smirking. She smiled back, they had come to smell better over the last few moments. It was only a matter of getting used to it, she supposed, the smell died down after a while. Now they only smelled like expired milk.

She broke out in a big grin at the thought, but then another came crashing down upon her mind. "Charlie" she whispered, eyes widened.

"We informed him you were attacked by a 'grizzly'," Sam made sure move his fingers to quote the word, "You will be having a funeral in a few weeks. In the meantime we need you to get fed"

Emily rubbed Bella's back, seeing as her whole body tensed at the idea.

"Don't worry" it was reassuring.

_Reassurance is just a way of deluding ourselves..._


	7. White Stained Blood

Jake's colossal hand pushed her rested on her midback briefly before pushing her forward. Sam chuckled slightly, "Don't worry, it'll be fine"

"Yeah right" Bella sneered, disliking this idea. The overly warm hand violated her ice like back once again, pushing her forward.

"We'll be right here; you go and do your stuff..." Jake said, frowning slightly.

She grumbled and then nodded. The forest was not a challenge to get through; since she had become a vampire she learned grace came in many forms. For most it was in their floating like ability they called walking, but for her it was the way she caught herself when she tripped. _That _was true grace.

She smirked, this was probably going to be easier then she thought. The smells and sounds led her directly to some mouth watering deer.

They didn't hear her, or see. Her body was working on pure instinct now, driving her into a slight crouch as she stalked forward at a large angle.

The deer closest to her tensed slightly, eyes darting wildly as she approached from the shadows. The muscles in her leg tightened then relaxed; adrenaline pushed them forward as she darted towards the now scurrying deer.

Her fingers caught it first, going for the neck, yet missing. She caught hold of the upper back, the spine poked out as the body tore downward. A pitiful cry unlike any she had ever heard before escaped the snout of her prey. Her nails dug upwards, separating the spine from the skin upwards to the skull.

The struggling died down as its body became incapable of moving and her teeth sank into its flesh. The one thing she found odd was the fact that the blood didn't just rush into her mouth.

'Of course not' her mind reprimanded her. Yes, her teeth were blocking all incoming flow of blood. Attacking upon instinct, her teeth tore upwards and a sweet elixir rushed into her mouth, staining her shiny teeth a light pink.

She quickly found herself sucking on the wound, driving the last of the blood out with acute accuracy.

------------------

He moaned as his body throbbed slightly with his shift of positions. Comfort was impossible for multiple reasons. One, he was in a rundown cabin on a rotting bed made of hay. It also didn't escape his subconscious that he had last track of Victoria, something so impossible to track simply because of her agile cat movements and more diverse knowledge.

Finally was the venom that piled up in the back of his throat, almost clogging it. The feeling caused nausea, yet he couldn't get it to go away because there was simply nothing to throw up.

With another moan, he balanced himself on his two unstable feet, feeling weak in the knees. Walking slowly, he headed towards the exit of the cabin.

It would be smart, he reasoned, to hunt.

--------------------

Sam bit into a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, giving a critical look towards Jake. The boy was sulking while fumbling carelessly with his own sandwich.

"What's wrong with you?!" Sam snapped, having enough of the insanity.

"It's all my fault..." Jake whispered.

Sam's eyebrows furrowed, "No, it's not"

"Yes, if we didn't go to that meadow... IT WAS THE EXACT SAME MEADOW!!" Jake shouted, turning towards Sam. Sam looked alarmed by this. "You went _back to the scene of the crime_?!"

Guilt took over Jake's face as he went back to fumbling with his sandwich.

-------------------

_2 weeks later_

The doorbell rang softly through the household and Bella happily went to get it. Anything to tear them away from her comparison of her graphic style of eating versus the boys eating. Both to her seemed pretty violent.

Swinging the door open in almost silence, she found a human on the other side. An intoxicating scent like nothing she ever smelled overwhelmed her almost instantly.

"Oh, hello. Is Sam here?" The man questioned.

Bella's stiff body shifted slightly. Biting down on her tongue, she nodded, knowing she couldn't speak through the venom pooling in the back of her throat.

"Can I speak to him?"

Bella nodded again before scurrying inside and grabbing the closest person to her. Emily.

Her arms wrapped around Emily from behind, pulling her nose into her midback. In mild surprise, she looked behind her to see a frantic Bella and the visitor.

"Oh, Sam a friend's here for you"

Sam looked up from the dishes that the boys were now doing and grinned. "Come on, let's go out to the porch"

Bella took slow, deep breaths, letting the atrocious smell sink into her memory. The venom quickly evaporated back to where ever it came from, satisfying the poor girl.

"All better?" Emily whispered questionably, smiling in a motherly manner.

Bella could still only manage a nod.

_Stability is a matter of situation... Situations change constantly._


	8. Shinjitsunai

**Heh heh... Sorryz if you got the story alert twice (I really hate that), but I have a good excuse! I ended up adding chappie 7 twice! -.-' I feel really stupid now too... yeah, well, I shouldn't really be updating yet, though, I'm going to anywayz... -shrugs- oh well, no biggy...**

Alice's body froze as she stared straight ahead.

A grave loomed in front of her instead of the normal couch. 'A vision' she concluded to herself.

Charlie appeared in front of the grave, his whole body shaking as he sobbed. His knees appeared to grow weak, buckling beneath him. As he slid downwards, pounding the ground in silent defeat, she could see the name.

_Isabella Marie Cullen_

Alice's eyes widened and suddenly she found others coming to help Charlie. That boy she saw at the prom, Jacob Black she believed, helped him up to his feet. His large, dark hand rubbed calming circles on the older mans back while his father wheeled up next to him.

The odd thing was that his father was glaring at him in utter disgust.

Alice growled as the vision faded away just as the father's mouth opened to say something in an almost mute whisper. Jumping to her feet, she headed to the door. "Where are you going?"

Rosalie...

D-mn it, d-mn it, d-mn it.

"Out...?" Alice replied in a sickly sweet voice, not bothering to turn away from the almost escape.

"Out where? You're prohibited from seeing that human" Rosalie sneered, her nose scrunching up slightly.

Alice sighed in agitation, "I'm not going to see Bella, I'm going to get some new information on my past. I saw myself getting it in a vision just now"

Rosalie didn't seem convinced, but sighed in defeat when Alice cocked her head in her direction, smiling innocently.

"Fine, fine. Though, it's not my fault when Edward kills you"

Alice flung the door open, dancing out. "That doesn't matter, Jasper won't let him"

Her voice echoed through the room temporarily as the door swung shut. Rosalie just sighed.

-------------------

Bella clutched Jake's arm for dear life, taking deep, slow breaths. With his other arm, he pushed forward a shopping cart while Embry poured food endlessly end.

Jake shifted her slightly, then tore her off of him, securing her to Embry. Her arms snaked around him and she continued her small excersises. Embry's arm wrapped around her waist, securing her while smiling. Jake walked forward and started to pay for the food.

"You know, you're the one subjecting yourself to the torture"

Bella didn't look up, just whispered back in a muffled voice. "I don't like being at home alone..."

"Ah, no one does"

--------------------

Charlie walked slowly, pacing in front of the phone. He couldn't tell her, yet... he had too. Bella was her daughter too, therefore she was inclined to know just as much as him.

It was just... it would break her. Renee wasn't emotionally old enough to handle it, hell he wasn't! He leaned on the counter for support, one hand now gripping the phone tightly. "This... that... I told her to stay out of the forest!!"

With a slight growl of annoyance, he started dialing his exwife's number. He kept the annoyance in place, knowing that it covered the grief and lonliness well.

_"Shinjitsu" a man told me once._

_"What?" I replied in a dumb manner._

_"Shinjitsu makes everything better" he mumbled sincerely, walking away into the darkness._


	9. Forbidden Phoenix

Alice moved slowly through the crowds of bustling people. She always hated airports, mainly because she knew Jasper was always resisting the hardest then.

Anything that pained Jasper pained her even more. She loved him too much to have it any of way. She also knew that it was the same with Edward and Bella. The only difference was that Edward was a little too masochistic for his own good, so he could separate the two of them just because he believed it would help Bella in the end.

Currently, Alice's theory was that she killed herself. Though, being a danger magnet, that was probably not extremely likely. For all she knew, the poor girl could've tripped on stairs, broken her neck and died. Then again, she might've fallen off a cliff... or tripped and landed on some random knife or other object, killing her.

With Bella's klutziness and miserable luck, anything was possible really. It was only a matter of what happened first and if Edward was there to stop it.

'Of course,' she reminded herself bitterly, 'He wouldn't have been there'

-----------------------

It was four or five in the morning and she found herself bored of randomly fantasizing, reading whatever unintelligible comic book or perplexing novels that lay around. The TV proved to be a failing cause, seeing as nothing but 'Nick at Night' and other oldies seemed to be playing...

Well, Adult Swim proved to be not like the others, rather a little disturbing for her tastes.

She sighed, swinging her legs off the couch she was sprawled across, her body followed. As she hit the kitchen, her mind drew a blank on what to do.

Swaggering slightly over to the cabinet, she started to push things aside as she looked for food to cook. Withdrawing several pans, three boxes of macaroni and cheese, and a box of pancake mix, she decided that would be a good start.

To make a full breakfast for the boys would take hours, so she always started early. They ate wildly; huge amounts of food could be gone in split seconds with their unnatural (yet explainable) speed.

----------------------

His chest throbbed, lungs pressing against his sore ribs before deflating. Edward mumbled a small curse as he walked closer to the house looming ahead of him.

Esme was already outside, waiting for him, when he arrived. Sighing, he let her envelope her in a hug.

"Stop being so... masochistic" she whispered, concern flooding through her words.

"I... can't?" he replied meekly.

Shaking her head, she ushered him inside. "Don't give me senseless excuses. You love her, and are going to be drawn back to her eventually"

_"Phoenixes never truly die, they 'die' and then are reborn. Love is like that everlasting Phoenix" I told my mother once._

_She only snorted at me, "No honey, love sucks, life sucks, then you die"_

_I later realized how ignorant I was back then, and how true her words were._

_Now though, I come upon a displeasing relevance. Vampires never die..._


	10. Shrouded Delusions

**I decided I wanted to update. Currently, the story's almost over . thank you all for readin!! And, ya know, I really appreciate all the reviews (I can't believe how responsive you people are o.O it's almost unnatural lol, but I still love you guyz)**

**Anywayz, after this story finishes I'll take any requests! (Me looove requests) I'll try to finish my other current stories, then I think I'll write on of three possible other twilight stories!**

Charlie sank down to the ground, sobs racking his body. Jake's strong arms tried to pick up the man, yet failed slightly. "Charlie, there was nothing anyone could do about it..."

"Yes... yes, I could have sent her back to Jacksonville" Charlie whispered pitifully.

Billy wheeled over, inspecting the graveyard. The funeral had been long over; Renee had to be dragged home by Phil because of her breakdown. Now, Charlie also needed to be helped.

Billy's eyes connected with Jake's in a glare. His mouth opened and he spoke in a whisper so low that only Jake could hear. "We both know there were no bears, you better explain"

Jake's eyes went down to Charlie as he fully pulled the smaller man up. "You probably need to get home..." Charlie nodded slightly, using Jake as support to get into the passenger side of the cruiser.

--------------

Alice smiled to the man behind the counter, "Can I have something fast please?"

The rental car salesman blinked, then blushed. "S-sure... how bout that beauty out back?" He asked, pointing through the window out back.

She leaned over slightly to see, then was amazed. A midnight blue car almost exactly like the Vanquish sat there.

A grin spread across her face, "I love it"

Within a few seconds she was out the door after a credit card transaction and keys being thrown her way. Throwing herself in the car, she took off towards her old home.

--------------

"She _what?_" Billy whispered frantically.

"It's my fault... she's staying with Sam and Emily" Jake mumbled back, head hanging in disappointment.

"You haven't killed her yet? She'll hurt Emily!" Billy wished he could shout, but Charlie wasn't currently changing from his ragged, soaked clothes to some clean ones, he would be back any minute now.

"Of course we wouldn't kill her; she's like a little sister to all of us! And..." Jake suddenly broke out in a grin, "She says Emily stinks of wolves and would rather hang herself then try and take a bite of her. Bells reasons she tastes even worse then she smells..."

Billy sighed before wheeling himself into the kitchen to greet Charlie. He knew that there was no winning with that boy. A shaky smile appeared on Charlie's face, and they began to talk about the newest scores in sports.

----------------

Bella's foot froze halfway off the edge of the cliff as her arms spread outward. Slowly, her body fell forward from her slight lean by the force of gravity.

The wind rushed around her, whipping her hair onto her face. It was like flying, almost like when you're on a swing pumping your legs as hard as you could. Though, the main difference was that on both the swing and in flying, you go up, not down.

No, this was falling. Falling that cause adrenaline to rapidly pump through her blood; making her get more excited by the second. The best part came next though, when her body hit the hard --yet somewhat warm, at least, compared to her -- surface of the misty green water.

She submerged, feeling only air above her, then the water engulfing her. It rushed in all directions, sending her sensitive nerves into overdrive.

Then, abruptly, she was pulled out from under the water and swung over someone's shoulder.

"That's enough; you've had your fun. Now, we need to go home" Paul said, walking towards the shoreline. She giggled, "That was sooo fun!"

After momentarily shaking his head, he mumbled something under his breath. Of course, being a vampire now, she caught it.

"You're such a freak" This only made her giggle harder.

----------------------

A soft knock on the door froze the conversation in an instant. Something flashed through Charlie's eyes, making Jake know that there was still some hope, some denial in him. He really wanted the person at the door to be Bella.

That was what made Jake worry. What if it _was _Bella? 'No, she couldn't get over here without one of us because of her horrible self control. None of the guys would be stu-- Embry... Paul...' he seethed quietly.

Turning to the two older men, he smiled. "I'll get the door, why don't you guys continue with your conversation?"

Billy nodded, while Charlie hesitated slightly. Jake didn't wait though; he bolted to the door, wrenching it open. Behind the door was a surprised girl.

He blinked, confused. "You're... a Cullen?"

She nodded meekly, then her nose scrunched up as she caught his smell. He squinted slightly, since he hadn't been near Bella all day, he forgot how hard vampires were to look at. She was like a giant crystal to him, so unbelievably shiny and moving in an angular pattern.

"I'm Alice... You're Jake? How's Charlie?" She asked in a rushed manner, worry spreading across her face. "I tried to get here earlier, but my flight was delayed..."

He was amazed at how human she seemed. Then again, it didn't surprise him now that he thought about it. Bella acted and reacted in the same manner... so... human.

"He's fine, well, getting there..." Jake said, looking back over his shoulder. "Um.. listen... why are you here?"

She blinked and then realization that he probably had no idea what was going on showed on her face. "Ahh... I had a vision, I saw Bella's grave and Charlie upset..."

He nodded, then quickly closed the door after pulling her inside. His next words were just as fast as hers and extremely hushed. "Listen up, I'm a werewolf. Bella isn't dead, either"

Her eyes widened, "What?"

"It's my fault, but that woman... Victoria, I believe, attacked Bells... and she ended up getting changed..."

"How old are you?"

"Sixteen..."

"No, when did you become a werewolf?"

"A few months ago..." He whispered, unsure. A maniacal grin spread across the girl's face. "I'm going to shove this bit of information into Edward's face... She really doesn't have any sense of self preservation"

He sighed, he knew his body had begun to shake slightly. Concentrating, he suppressed that urge to change and attack her. He had, after all, been getting good at it. Briefly, he wondered why all his thoughts led back to Bella.

"Please, she can't stay with us forever..."

Alice nodded, smiling. "I want to see Charlie, then I'll talk Bella into coming home with me. Is that good?"

He nodded happily, "Yes! Perfect!"

----------------------

Bella messed with the Ipod that Emily insisted on getting her. Songs had been randomly put on by everyone in the household, so she had no real idea what she was listening to.

The song though, was good. However, it had a haunting beat that when combined with the words, disturbed her slightly.

Putting the song on repeat, she let her daydreams drag her into an abyss of mental detachment.

_The words of the song haunted my mind, echoing and rebounding back to me._

_"Where have all the good men gone, and where are all the Gods?"_

_Words formed within my mind, from where I still don't know. "They're hiding somewhere, wallowing in self pity"_


	11. Adulterous Pride

_"Somewhere just beyond my reach,_

_There's someone reaching back for me,_

_Racing on the thunder and rising with the heat,_

_It's gonna take a superman to sweep me off my feet"_

Alice and Jake walked into the house, Jake's nose perking up at the smell of the food. The small vampire danced into the kitchen --she knew it was there because of the smell-- and jumped on the first girl she saw.

Bella gave a small screech, and they all winced at the sound. Emily raced into the room, concerning glittering across her face. "What are you doing?"

She blinked, seeing the two girls on the ground together. Bella tried to support herself while Alice's arms were latched around her neck, her cheek rubbing against Bella's.

"Alice?"

She nodded against Bella's cheek, her hold tightening. "Mmm, you still smell good too"

Embarrassment was soon etched across Bella's face. "W-what are you doing here?"

"I had a vision that you were dead, so I went to comfort Charlie. Your friend Jake over there told me to come here to see you"

Bella's eyes flickered from Alice to Jake instantly. "Why?"

"Bells, you can't stay here forever" he whispered.

"Why not?"

"He is right..." Sam said, a look of contemplation on his face. "It's a strain on both parties, and it's dangerous for you"

"B-but"

"You don't want to see Edward again?" Alice questioned, her grip could have easily broken a human body. It only showed that she was afraid that Bella could possibly disappear at any moment.

"N-no"

"It's fine, I'll stay till I can convince you to come back"

--------------------

Bella stared Alice down, there was no escaping the girl now that it was the middle of the night. "Alice..."

"Eventually, you're going to have to come back with me"

"No... I won't"

"Yes you will I--"

"Stop it" Bella said, closing her eyes tight. She opened her eyes to see Alice sitting there wide eyed, her mouth opening and closing, no sound coming.

"What?"

After a few moments, her voice recovered and she coughed. "I-I d-don't know..."

"Your voice just stopped?"

Alice nodded, looking lost for once. Without warning, she shook her head. "Bells, he lo--"

"I don't wanna hear it"

Once again, her voice failed her.

----------------------

Edward stared at the feet sticking out from under the flaming red car, clothed in strappy, expensive sandals. "Rosalie... where's Alice?"

There was a slight shift, then he heard some more use of tools. "I asked Jasper already," he continued, "Jasper said she had run off somewhere without telling him"

She snorted, "She said that she was 'getting new research', though we both know that's not the case" His eyebrows furrowed at the comment. "What do you mean?"

Pushing herself out from under her precious BMW, she stood up in front of Edward. "Isn't it obvious? She probably snapped and finally went back to see that little human girlfriend of yours..."

His eyes hardened at her tone, it was almost disgusted. "You're jealous of her? Or is it because she's getting more attention from your siblings then you?"

_'Edward, I love you. She's hurting you, I can't condone that...'_

He sighed, "So what do you want me to do?"

Getting back under the car, she continued to work.

_'I want you to make it better for everyone.'_

He truly didn't know how to do so.

_"Some things are easier said then done" Who was the genius who thought that up? Because, surely, he didn't truly understand the dilemmas a vampire might have..._


	12. Shrouded Deliberation

It amazed Bella to see the two girls in front of her, talking about their clothing in such a way.

Now, you have to understand that 'in such a way' is basically referring to Bella's doom. YES! Her downfall! Something that even the mightiest of vampires fall to!

Being a life size Barbie doll for two grown women.

Ohhhh the horror!!!!

Yes, you must be wondering 'WTF?!'

No one can blame you either really, for I am nothing more then a babbling girl screaming out things to cure my current boredom (and avoid doing homework).

You see, currently Bella was tied down with heavy duty rope to a chair. Feet away from her were Emily and Alice, hovering over a pile of clothes, nitpicking at which would look best at her.

"But blue doesn't match her eyes very well" Emily said, taking a quick look at Bella's face to confirm it.

"Ah, yes, but it does look cute on her!" Alice argued back.

"Baby blue?"

Alice's head shook quickly, short locks whipping her face. "No no, a slightly darker color. Midnight blue?"

"Oh! That probably would look good! I might have something in that color too!"

Bella's eye caught on something as she was looking for an escape route. It was a mirror. Her reflection shown in it and she stared back temporarily, taking in the full differences between her and Emily.

So many things were different. Visibly wise, they were as different as night and day. Though, it was in other regards that she found herself seeing as their features.

It was impossible for them to mix, but she had tried so hard. They kept her at bay, yet she only provoked them most of the time. If it weren't for Sam's demands of them not hurting her, she might have already been killed.

That must have been why Jake wanted her to go. Not because he hated her, rather he wanted to protect her.

Though, she couldn't go. Not after what Edward told her. He didn't love her, he had moved on. It was so simple, she accepted it too. Acceptance, though, didn't mean that she didn't love him still.

That being said, anyone could understand her problem. She was being pushed back towards the one that loved her no more, Bella wasn't stupid enough to go along with getting her heart broken. No, that would be stupid.

But Alice didn't understand that had become clear last night... that and the fact that she had the ability to stop Alice's mind from connecting thoughts and commands together.

Maybe, she reasoned, it would be possible to get Alice to leave? Using her ability might make that possible. Though, that probably was nothing more then a false hope.

She could stop them, not control them. Controlling someone was something so unimaginably hard that it was nearly impossible. No, she would never be able to do that.

So, in the end, she would have to find another way... but how?

"AHA! A nice midnight blue summer dress!" Emily squealed, coming out from the closet.

"Good!" Alice said, heading popping out from behind a stack of makeup supplies. Bella gulped down the growing lump in her throat...

No, this was most definitely not good...

--------------------------

Edward stared at the car that glinted in the moonlight outside the window. It was placed there purposefully, he knew it. Their thoughts were clean, but the positioning of it and the keys -- which were only feet away from him-- was just too perfect.

A low growl ripped through his throat, making Emmett clutch his newspaper tighter. Yes, newspaper + Emmett...

They were playing him like a fool... Really, did they think this little of him? Or just his self control?

His leg bounced up and down off the floor in silence, his hand twitching slightly. It was all getting to him. No matter how obvious, the damage had been done.

His thoughts quickly centered on something else, anything. Jasper was watching sports. D-mn... Just like Charlie.

Rosalie sat reading a book with her legs resting on Emmett's lap. Bella loved books...

The piano caught his eye... Her lullaby seemed to endlessly repeat itself once again through his mind.

Then there was Emmett... he tried not to focus on Emmett too much. The urge to ring his giant (soon to be very tiny though) throat was becoming almost overwhelming.

_You know... these things aren't that bad... Did you know that it was 52 degrees outside today? Oh, and apparently someone won this award... They're kinda ugly though... This lady cooked some really big food too..._

Edward's head collapsed into his hands and he began to rub his temples to prevent the oncoming headache. "Emmett... it's called a newspaper... And really, you sound absolutely pathetic..."

Emmett's grasp tightened on the newspaper again and a low, barely audible chuckle rumbled somewhere deep in his chest. He could have sworn he saw a smile spread across Rosalie's face too, but she hid it behind her book too fast.

"Fine" Edward grumbled unhappily. He got up and grabbed the car keys. "I'm going, I'm going... happy?"

As the door closed, he heard loud cheers being emitted from the room he left behind. Sighing while shaking his head, Edward got into the car. His hand temporarily hovered over the ignition, then he plunged the key in, revving up the car.

_Sometimes, in the game of Shouji, you must make certain sacrifices to protect the king...  
_


	13. Sakuras in the Wind

The road flew by in only slight blurs of discolored nothingness. The window of the passenger side was cracked, letting the full scents of anything and everything fill the car. He was hoping that he could catch a scent of possibly Alice.

Maybe he could --even though his hopeful side was telling him that he shouldn't-- even catch _her_ scent...

What caught him by surprise was the scent that he actually caught. A rotting like scent he had never smelled before. Decaying fur? Yes, probably. That was odd...

-------------------------

She hiked up the trail slowly, knowing that Alice ahead might finally get impatient and give it all up. That was unlikely though, she was more likely to come over and pick the poor girl up.

"Hurry up!" Alice's voice chimed in an unbelievably musical voice. Momentarily, Bella felt jealousy. She was no prettier (which she believed was not very pretty) then in her original form, and her voice only sounded slightly different. Though, it was amusement that overwhelmed that odd sensation. It never occurred to her as possible for a bell to sound... whiny?

A smile played at her lips, quickly stretching into a smirk upon seeing Alice's huffing. "You're cute like that... I must say, I should take a picture for Jasper"

"And would you give it to him in person?"

Bella caught the insinuation and smiled innocently. "Nope! It's my present for him through you!"

A frown tipped the sides of her mouth downward once again and Alice turned, huffing, back to the path. She danced upwards while Bella tripped slightly, gracefully catching herself. Yes, she had recently mastered and defined the art of graceful falling. This, my dear friends, would put her name down in history as something amazing.

She hit the top of the trail, then turned to go towards the cliff. Alice dashed from the tree line to the edge, jumping and doing something she only imagined Emmett ever doing. Her legs curled up to her chest, arms slipping around them in a cannonball.

"CANNONBALL!!!!" Her voice cheered in a notch lower then Bella had ever heard it.

Giggling, Bella dropped the stuff Alice made her bring --back up makeup and clothes for when the fun was over. Then Alice would have a ball torturing her. It was, now that she thought about it, slightly sadistic.

A smile played upon her lips at the thought. She really missed Alice, no matter how much she was trying to deny it.

----------------------------

Pushing just past the barrier of what he would get in trouble for, Edward sped up the car. La Push was a dangerous area, but he had to check. After all, Alice wasn't completely sane when it came down to it.

His morbid thoughts were confirmed when he found himself inhaling his sister's scent slightly shrouded by salt. There was another scent.

'Salty cherry blossoms?'

------------------------------

Alice's form made a wall of water spray upwards as she was enveloped by the water. Bella got ready, being about two steps back. Taking a deep breath, she bent her knees.

"Bella?"

Her eyes widened at the voice, the voice that had been echoing through her mind during the last hour. Turning around to face him, she could only stare. "Edward?"

He took a step towards her and she took a step backwards. He repeated this process and she found herself at the edge, swaying backwards slightly.

Gravity won the battle, pulling her downwards off the cliff. His eyes went wide as he watched her almost in slow motion fall down the side of the cliff, hair flying upwards.

The only thing she could think about was the wind rushing across her back. This experience was the most like flying she had ever had. The flying sensation was so nice; she barely heard her subconscious screaming her name. It was wonderful, like going to heaven almost, his voice produced by her mind, calling out to her.

Or...

Was it actually him?

_Even the famed Cherry Blossoms last for a short lifetime, you must cherish them while they are there…_


	14. Eternal Wandering

**Short Disclaimer (kinda): Um, I forgot to mention that the two song lyrics I use don't belong to me. The one I used previously was from Holding Out for a Hero by Frou Frou, the one at the end of the chapter is Fukai Mori/Deep Forest by Do As Infinity (gotta love em)**

**Quick Translations: Since I haven't totally been able to cut my connections with the Anime/Manga world, I used a little japanese in here... so yeah, translations...**

**Sakuras: Cherry Blossoms**

**Shinjitsu: Truth, reality, sincerity, honesty, etc...**

**Nai: Less  
Shinjitsunai: Truthless, honestless, etc...**

**By the way, I really would like to hear any requests/ideas people have, I get bored, love to write and talk to people!**

Her body was engulfed by the blue that he had always loved seeing her in. It was murky, and she quickly disappeared. His body followed her in a desperate action to save her.

Alice came up to see nothing there. She had taken a while... but did Bella ditch her?

Water splashed in her face as a large solid mass came up. Bronze and a dark brunette color caught her eye. Bella giggled from the confines of Edward's tight grip, her arms wrapped around his neck and she shouted, "That was sooo fun!!"

Alice was sure that the poor girl didn't even realize who she was talking to. More then likely, she believed it was Alice.

"It was so much like flying! I can't believe it! You should try it too!" Yes, she was talking to Alice, not Edward. She wasn't even aware of Edward's presence... yet, he was all too aware of her.

"Bella..." Alice whispered in a hushed voice that only a vampire could hear. Bella's eyes snapped open and connected with Edward's own topaz eyes. His eyes widened in farther in utter disbelief. "No..."

She shrieked, pushing away from him and ducking under the water. When she came up she was behind Alice, clutching her waist tightly. Sighing, Alice addressed Edward.

"What are you doing here?"

He frowned, "You didn't see me coming?"

She giggled slightly, though underneath the giggle was a darker, threatening tone. "Bella cut off my visions..."

"I didn't mean to!" Bella cried. The fall seemed to have done something to her, since everything about her seemed to suddenly be more childish. Maybe she was catching up on a personality she never got to express since she was always taking care of her parents, now that she had forever to do so.

"Bella... you're... a _vampire_?"

A smirk formed across Alice's face as Bella just buried her head in between Alice's shoulder blades. "Well, you see Edward. Bella here wasn't completely safe, like you thought she would be when we left. Victoria came back --a mate for a mate I believe her theory was-- and ended up getting a hold of her. You're lucky," Alice's tone held a venomous part to it that only someone who knew her for years could understand; "Jacob Black saved her. She's been staying with werewolves ever since."

His body seemed frozen at the knowledge, his beliefs had failed.

-----------------

Silence filled the car as Alice went inside to speak to Jake and the others. Bella's legs curled up to her chest, her face nuzzled in between the peaks of her two knees. Edward, on the other hand, stared blankly at the back of the driver's seat. The tension was apparent; twisting theirs neglected intestines to the point of no return.

'Why?' Her resentful side screamed, 'Why did he have to come back?' She didn't have an answer. In truth, she didn't know what to feel; all she knew was that she had felt her heart shatter across the floor like multicolored glass when his eyes connected with hers earlier.

"Why did you jump off the cliff?" His voice was barely a whisper, hoarse and filled with something undistinguishable. Worry, possibly...

Her eyes opened to stare at her bare feet, wriggling her toes in thought. They both sat there, dripping salt water onto the nice seats of his precious Volvo. Neither noticed the biding cold that wrapped itself around their bodies. It went unnoticed because of their unnaturally low body temperatures.

With toes continuing to wiggle, she began to form an answer within her mind. "Because... it's like flying" her voice too came out surprisingly hoarse. It sounded much like how her truck's engine whined when he pushed its top limit too far. Momentarily, she wondered what ever happened to her truck, then the thought was gone.

"I... I didn't know you had been changed..." He continued on. Bella truly didn't understand where he wanted to go with this, so only nodded in a slight movement.

"I thought I would have... l-lost you"

Wide golden eyes darted over to his. Sincerity, concern, fear... they all flooded over from his eyes to her body.

"Idiot" her voice was low, almost like a growl. This caught him by surprise.

"You shouldn't care about my life if it is just because you feel guilty... That's just... idiotic" His eyes were wide at her somewhat threatening growl. His eyes turned darker with another emotion.

Hurt.

"Bella... I... still love you"

"Save me the crap Edward"

He shook his head, leaning over to her. With arms snaking around her, his lips connected with hers. Bella's eyes widened and she pushed him away from her. Opening the door, she slipped out of the car and into the house. That is, only to run directly into Emily.

Her arms embraced the smaller girl in that ever motherly way of hers. "I'm going to miss you"

Bella froze, eyes wide. "What?" She managed to choke out. One of Emily's hands came up to stroke the soaked hair away from her almost little sister's sheet white face.

"Alice and Jake have convinced Sam to let you to go home with her and Edward..." Her head cocked to the side, staring into Bella's eyes, searching for something. "Will you be alright? With him, I mean? You can always come back here if you want. You know that, right? I promise, we will always welcome you with open arms."

Bella nodded her head in a failed attempt to compute this information. "I... don't want to go..."

"It's for your own good Bells" Jake's firm voice came. He patted her head slightly and smiled shakily. "Come on, you can't stay with your natural enemy forever..."

Her body collided with his in a thick huge. "Why not?"

"It's unhealthy and stressful for both sides Bella..." Alice's voice said in a quiet tone. "Why don't you say your goodbyes?"

From the way she cocked her head to the side, Bella knew it was a choice. They could stay another night if need be for her, but that would be harder. She wasn't sure why exactly, but something inside her told that it would be harder.

_'It was a clean break, so it will heal easier that way'_

The memory haunted her for some many nights. Both before and after they left. Now they were trying to take her back.

But he still didn't love her... no matter how much he wanted her to believe so.

Detaching her arms from Jake, she hugged them all, saying goodbye. As Alice helped her into the passenger seat, she felt dazed. Sitting down in what she presumed was somewhat proper, she stared at her hand.

The scar.

It seemed to have expanded, taking up half of her hand in an eerie fashion of a crescent moon. Somehow, it reminded her a bit of a shark bite. Though, she knew it was too small to be so.

Edward continuously tried to get her attention, but she couldn't draw her attention from the scar. It taunted her, telling her that at one time she had been worth it to him. It fueled the hope within her that still wanted the boy.

A dry sob escaped her mouth and Alice rubbed her back. "Bella... I'm sorry, but it's best for everyone"

"Really?" she knew that her tone was obviously spiteful, but she didn't think Alice would catch it. Edward would though, he knew her unimaginably better then Alice did.

"Yes. Better for them, us... me... you and Edward..."

The tension filled the air once again, and Alice decided it would be better to stay silent.

----------------------

"Bella..." Edward's voice filled the air now that Alice had left them in the hotel room. Bella's head was once again between her legs as she tried not to give into the smell.

"I'm sorry... for earlier"

She moaned and rolled over, pulling him down so she could bury her head in his chest. Breathing deeply, her body loosened its muscles and the venom dissipated from her mouth.

"What?" He asked in an extremely surprised manner. Then he realized from her slow, shallow breathing that she was having trouble. "How old are you?"

"A month and a half old" she murmured into his chest.

His arms wrapped loosely around her, resting on her hips. They stayed like that for an almost immeasurable amount of time, her breathing become more even and sleep like.

Eventually, Alice came bouncing into the room, bags swinging on her arms. Placing the assorted bags of new clothes in the corner she turned to Edward. Both of them hadn't moved in hours.

"Is she asleep?"

His eyes rolled lazily to look at her. "That's a stupid question"

She smiled, giggling lightly. "Well, she seems to be quite good at detaching her mind from her body in a sleep, yet not sleeping state"

His nose scrunched up slightly. Sighing, he shifted slightly to become more comfortable.

"This is why you don't lie to people" Alice drawled, sliding gracefully into a chair. "It hurts them and causes problems no matter how noble the reason" He didn't respond so she only babbled onward. "You should be more patient with her. Eventually the lies sink in and become truth to the mind, so it will take time for you to convince her that you truly do love her..."

His hold only tightened.

"Isn't that right Bella..."

Her eyes remained closed, but she shifted slightly. "We do have... eternity..."

_I never did understand Emily's choice of music, somehow it all sounded sad to me. This one especially hit a sore spot for me._

_"As we wander,_

_We go on living, anywhere,_

_Looking back at a closed road,_

_For eternity"_

_Why did it seem that looking back would just be... too painful?_


	15. Serving Death

**This is an epilouge basically... Heh, people wanted me to continue, but that was the last chapter -.-' soooo, yeah... I guess I wrote this... I can't guarantee it'll be too long, but yeah... Here it is**

**A Hersheys Rocks Production**

**Irony Dies Hard Epilogue**

**Serving Death**

She laid spread across the bed, her dark hair spread around her. Really, she wasn't even sure why they had a bed. The others may have reasons, like certain activities, but she could barely let Edward hold her now. Even after all this time, five... ten years? She wasn't sure, after all, she lost track of time long ago.

Still, she was scared. Scared and mad. If she gave in, would he leave her again? Would he dare cause her the same pain?

He had told her it was a mistake, a complete mistake.

Yet, she couldn't trust him completely. It was just her scared side speaking out, but it ruled her decisions.

His arms trailed down her waist, pulling her slowly to his bigger body. It, strangely enough, felt slightly warm to her. Edward's head buried itself in the crook of neck. His breathing was slow, almost like he was asleep.

Bella shifted slightly from the close proximity, but his hold only tightened. Sighing, she gave in and just let him hold her. This was the closet he had gotten so far. Every night he would hold her and it would slowly get to be a tighter hold. Frankly, it was driving her crazy.

His lips moved across her neck, forming words in a soft buzzing sound. "I love you"

"Mmhmm..." she murmured back. She only acknowledged, never replied.

"I'm sorry... for everything"

Her body stiffened. This one was new. He never said he was sorry, even though it was written all over his face. Turning in his hold, she buried her head in his chest. "I forgive you"

------------------------

Alice's feet swayed above her as she stared up at them in boredom. "Jasper... I'm bored..."

He turned to look at her, a weary look on his face. "Put your legs down, you're wearing a skirt" She consented; staying sprawled out on her back. "Bella is bored too..." he murmured, knowing from her emotions.

"As is Rosalie" he continued.

Alice perked up, a smirk coming across her face. "ROSALIE!!!" Her voice echoed loudly throughout the somewhat quiet house. Rosalie appeared in the doorway instantly.

The little pixie jumped up from her spot beside Jasper on their bed and ran to Rosalie, grabbing her. Rosalie blinked and the smirk spread on Alice's face. "It's play time" she giggled.

A smile also appeared on Rosalie's face.

--------------------------

Bella wrote down the answers to her math assignment slowly, it wasn't anything too new. She obviously didn't get it as well as the others, but that was a given, having this be her third run through high school. Not to mention the first time through high school she basically missed her whole last year.

She scribbled her name up at the top in her ever messy handwriting. _Isabella Hale._

Yes, Isabella Hale, the notoriously quiet and distant girlfriend of Edward Cullen, the perfect Romeo. She snorted quietly at the thought of him being Romeo, she used to have a crush on Romeo, he was cute and sweet and all that junk... but Edward... Edward was more.

Her thoughts were rudely interrupted by the slamming open of the door behind her. 'Oh god' she thought to herself. 'Why now?'

Alice was bouncing on the edge of the bed in moments. "Guess what Bells!"

She could hear Rosalie walk over, swaying her hips in that overdramatic self conscious manner of hers. The weight shifted again as Alice continued to jump and Rosalie sat down.

"EDWARD!!!!!" she screeched, but it was too late, the door was locked.

Alice and Rosalie dragged her into what she oh so fondly called Hell.

---------------------------

Edward's eyebrows furrowed when he found the door locked. Sighing, he plopped down to wait. They wouldn't let him see her for a while, not till she was all dressed up.

A velvet box twirled in his fingers anxiously. The door flew open and Alice danced out happily. Rosalie followed, smiling at her brother. Momentarily, she stopped to wink at him and give him a peck on the cheek, before she too danced down the hallway, almost silently calling to Emmett.

Standing, he raised an eyebrow at the empty room. He walked into his room, closing the door behind him. "Are you going to come out of the bathroom?"

"NO!" her voice seemed to quiver slightly. Great, she was horrified of the idea.

"Come on, it can't be that bad..."

Her head peaked out and she slowly inched out from behind the door. Oh, they dressed her in some random Victoria's Secrets lingerie.

'At least they didn't dress her as a hooker or a stripper,' he thought to himself, sighing. 'Even though I'd like that, it'd be degrading for her...'

He smiled softly, a crooked smile she loved. It drew her closer until she was hugging him. "I like it"

He could practically feel the embarrassment radiating off of her. Slowly, he disconnected himself from her. "Bells, I have to ask you something..."

She blinked, wide golden orbs staring up at him questionably.

The velvet box slid out from his sleeve, opening in his hand. Within it was a small, simplistic engagement ring. It was perfect for her, just how she wanted it. The band was silver and on top was pink sapphire ovals put together to form a flower...

A cherry blossom.

Bella smiled at his unspoken question. Her response was just as silent as she kissed his cheek and buried her face back in his chest.

_The words were silent._

_"Will you marry me?"_

_She couldn't truly reject him if she wanted to. It wasn't her choice._

_"Why wouldn't I?"_

**_Owarinai_**

_**Taishite**_

_**Eien.**_


End file.
